Pump-regulator



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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILFRED S. GRIFFITH, OF AMBLER, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES S.SOLOMON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PUMP-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,101, dated February7, 1893.

Application filed'November 20, 1891. Renewed November 3, 1892. SerialNo. 450,807. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be itknown that I, WILFRED S. GRIFFITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ambler, in the county of Montgomery and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pump-Regulators or Governors; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to pump regulators or governors for tanks orreservoirs for the temporary storage of water or other liquids, and hasfor its object to provide a new and improved means for automaticallycontrolling the action of the pump, engine, or other motor employed inlling the tanks, by the rise and fall of the liquid contained in thelatter, the pump being stopped when the water or other liquid reachesapredetermined level;

and being started again when by reason of its withdrawal it falls belowthat point, whereby an approximately constant volume of liquid ismaintained in the tank.

My invention consists in arranging within the supply tank a fixedair-chamber open at its lower end, and with its lower end slightly belowthe predetermined level of the water or other liquid in the tank; intowhich air-chamber the water or other liquid rises as it is forced intothe supply tank; and in connection with said air-chamber an air-pipeleading from said air-chamberinto a smaller tank in which is placedanother air-chamber de pending from a cord, chain, lever or rod,connected with the controlling mechanism of the pump, engine, or othermotor used to till the supply tank; whereby when the liquid in thesupply tank rises above the lower end of the xed air-chamber it operatesto compress the air in that air-chamber and forces air through the pipeleading from it into the small tank, thus causing the dependingair-chamber in the Vsmall tank to rise, and through its connections tostop the pump. When the level of the liquid inthe supply tank is loweredby reason of draft thereon, the air in the two chambers and pipe willexpand, thus allow ing the depending chamber to overcome itscounter-balance in the small tank and start the pump.

The accompanying drawing represents in elevation my invention applied tothe ordinary water-tank and supply-pump.

In the drawing Arepresents asteam pump of any preferred type; B is thepipe supplying steam to the same.

C is an inlet pipe for supplying Water to the pump.

` D is the supply-tank or reservoir located at any required distancefrom a height above the pump.

E is the supply pipe leading from the pump and entering the supply-tankD at the top, bottom or side, as preferred.

F is the throttle-valve which controls the admission of steam to thepump.

G is a small tank in'which lioats the depending chamber H, the latterbeing connected with the bell crank leverIby means of the cord J orother suitable connection passing over suitable guide pulleys.

The valve F may be of any preferred type of balanced valve. One arm ofthe bell crank lever is link-connectedwith the stem of this valve, theother end of the lever being provided with an adjustable weightN for apurpose to be hereinafter described.

K is a chamber open at its lower end and constructed of metal or othersuitable matej rial, which should be -permanently held in a fixedposition relatively to the supply tank D. It will be understood that themouth or lower end of the air-chamber K should be Iplaced slightly belowthe desired level of the liquid in the supply-tank.

L is a pipe leading from the air-chamber K into the small tank G,preferably entering the tank through the bottom, the opening or mouth ofsaid pipeLis placed within the tank Gand above the level of the liquidcontained therein and within the depending air-chamber I-I. In thelowest bend. of the pipe L is placed a trap M for the purpose ofcollecting any water or liquid which may enter the pipe L; and this trapM is fitted with a suitable valve or cock for drawing oif said liquid,thus preventingthe obstruction of thepipe thereby.

The small tank G is partly filled with water,

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oil or other liquid; and, if water is used, for the prevention of itsevaporation, a small quantity of non-Volatile oil is poured on the waterbetween the walls of the tank G and the air-chamber H as shown at O.

The construction and arrangement being as described, its operation is asfollows: The pump being started, the water is forced into the tank Dthrough the pipe E until it rises to the level of the mouth or lower`end of the air-chamber K. The water continuing for a time to rise, theair conned in the chamber K, pipe L, and depending chamber H will becompressed and will exert an upward pressure on the depending chamber Hthus slacking the connection J, and allowing the weight N on the longarm of the bell-crank lever` to depress the same, closing the valve, andshutting oft the steam, when the operation of the pump ceases and nomore water will be forced into the supply tank D. The weight on the bellcrank leverN will keep the valve F closed until the level of the Waterin the supply tank D is lowered, thereby permitting the expansion ot`the air confined in the pipeLand airchambers K and H, and causing theairchamber H to sink in the tank G, thus over balancing the weight N andreopening the valve F.

The purpose of making the weight N adjustable is to properly proportionthe force required to actuate the bell crank lever and the weight ot'the float or air-chamber H.

It will be readily understood that other and various devices may besuccessfully employed to secure pneumatic regulation and control of thepumping apparatus. For example, ilexible or collapsible air chambersmight be substituted for the air chambers shown in the drawing, and thepressure of theliquid on the flexible air chamberin the supply tankwould collapse the air chamber in that tank, and correspondingly expandthe flexible air chamber in the small tank, thus raising the level ofthe liquid in that tank and elevating a float connected with the,controlling mechanism of the pump; and, vice versa, on the falling ofthe level of the liquid in the supply tank the pressure of the liquid inthe small or secondary tank would collapse the iexible air chambertherein, and correspondingly expand the air chamber in the supply tank.Or the liquid in the secondary tank might be dispensed with, and aweight connected with the controlling mechanism of the pump placeddirectly upon the expansible air chamber in the secondary tank andarranged to rise and sink with the expansion or contraction of the airchamber therein. The air chamber K also,

may be placed outside the tank D, it being only necessary that the waterin the tankvD shall have access to the lower part of the air chamber Kto compress the air therein, and force it through the pipe L into theair chamber H. The connections between the air chamber or iioat in thesmall tank and the controlling mechanism of the pump may also be variedin several ways and numerous details; as, for instance, the connectionmay be made rigid instead of iexible, or direct instead f indirect, asshown. While, theretore,I have described what I deem the best means ofapplying pneumatic regulation to pumps, I do not intend to be confinedto the means shown herein, but

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

l. The combination of a supply tank, automatic mechanism for filling thesame, an openbottomed air-chamber iixed in the tank so that the rise ofthe liquid therein will compress the air in the chamber, a secondarytank, an open-bottomed air-vessel suspended in the secondary tank, andair pipe extending from the air-chamber in the supply tank into thesecondary tank above the surface of the liquid therein and under thesecondary airchamber, and connections between the secondary aircham'berand the mechanism for controlling the automatic tank-filling mechanism,substantially as described.

2. The combination of a pump, a supply pipe, a supply tank, anair-chamber connected with the latter so as to permit the rising of theliquid therein to compress the air in said air-chamber, a secondaryair-chamber, a pipe connection between said air-chambers, andconnections between a movable part of the secondary airchamber and thecontrolling mechanism of the pump, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a pump, a supply pipe, a supply tank, anopen-bottomed airchamber arranged in the supply tank so as to permit therising of the liquid therein to compress the air in the chamber, asecondary tank, a secondary open-bottomed air-chamber suspended, in thesecondary tank, an airpipe extending from the primary air-chamber intothe secondary tank under the secondary air-chamber therein, andconnections between the secondary air-chamber and the regulatingmechanism of the pump, substantially as described.'

WILFRED S. GRIFFITH.

Witnesses:

F. W. GnIoHTnL, H. F. BAKER.

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